A six foot plug in the front fuselage, a modified fin and the Hermes could have been quite successful. Despite the complexities of the sleeve valve arrangement the Bristol Hercules radials were the mainstay of the Royal Air Force transport units until the mid sixties. It's successor, the Centaurus, still shows its mettle at the Reno air races. A real nightmare, or how many bits can you get inside an engine block, is the sleeve valved H24 Napier Sabre.
Last edited by Fareastdriver; 7th Jan 2009 at 05:51.